BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:22

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 2:22

 

vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya

navani grhnati naro 'parani

tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany

anyani samyati navani dehi

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

vasamsi--garments; jirnani--old and worn out; yatha--just as;

vihaya--giving up; navani--new garments; grhnati--does accept;

narah--a man; aparani--others; tatha--in the same way;

sarirani--bodies; vihaya--giving up; jirnani--old and useless;

anyani--different; samyati--verily accepts; navani--new sets;

dehi--the embodied.

 

TRANSLATION

 

As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul

similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless

ones.

 

PURPORT

 

Change of body by the atomic individual soul is an accepted fact. Even

the modern scientists who do not believe in the existence of the soul,

but at the same time cannot explain the source of energy from the

heart, have to accept continuous changes of body which appear from

childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth and again from youth to

old age. From old age, the change is transferred to another body. This

has already been explained in a previous verse (2.13).

 

Transference of the atomic individual soul to another body is made

possible by the grace of the Supersoul. The Supersoul fulfills the

desire of the atomic soul as one friend fulfills the desire of

another. The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanisad, as well as the

Svetasvatara Upanisad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two

friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the

individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other

bird (Krsna) is simply watching His friend. Of these two

birds--although they are the same in quality--one is captivated by the

fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the

activities of His friend. Krsna is the witnessing bird, and Arjuna is

the eating bird. Although they are friends, one is still the master

and the other is the servant. Forgetfulness of this relationship by

the atomic soul is the cause of one's changing his position from one

tree to another, or from one body to another. The jiva soul is

struggling very hard on the tree of the material body, but as soon as

he agrees to accept the other bird as the supreme spiritual master--as

Arjuna agreed to do by voluntary surrender unto Krsna for

instruction--the subordinate bird immediately becomes free from all

lamentations. Both the Mundaka Upanisad (3.1.2) and Svetasvatara

Upanisad (4.7) confirm this:

 

samane vrkse puruso nimagno

'nisaya socati muhyamanah

justam yada pasyaty anyam isam

asya mahimanam iti vita-sokah

 

"Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully

engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of

the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend

who is the Lord and knows His glories--at once the suffering bird

becomes free from all anxieties." Arjuna has now turned his face

towards his eternal friend, Krsna, and is understanding the

Bhagavad-gita from Him. And thus, hearing from Krsna, he can

understand the supreme glories of the Lord and be free from

lamentation.

 

Arjuna is advised herewith by the Lord not to lament for the bodily

change of his old grandfather and his teacher. He should rather be

happy to kill their bodies in the righteous fight so that they may be

cleansed at once of all reactions from various bodily activities. One

who lays down his life on the sacrificial altar, or in the proper

battlefield, is at once cleansed of bodily reactions and promoted to a

higher status of life. So there was no cause for Arjuna's lamentation.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.